Meet Joe.

Joe uses his phone on and off throughout the day. He checks to see what his friends and family are up to, what’s happening in the world (ugh), and what’s happening in his neighborhood. He accesses his calendar, email, maps, web search, and instant messaging. And sometimes he just takes a break during those downtimes – like when he’s standing in an elevator – and looks at pictures.

He seeks out the things that entertain him, teach him something, or relate to him personally – and shares them with friends and colleagues.

Traditional advertising goes mostly unnoticed by Joe: pictures of cars telling him to find his nearest dealer, celebrities telling him what to drink, paid reviews about the magic of a household cleaning product, and so on. Joe has been using the Internet long enough for him to unconsciously identify and ignore blatant advertising messaging. If ads disrupt his flow – such as a pop-up or video that starts playing automatically – he might even have a negative reaction to the ad.